Man died after living in ‘mouldy flat’ as probe launched into his death
A Manchester man whose death has been linked to his ‘heavily mould-infested accommodation’ will be probed by a coroner.
Luke Brooks, 27, died on 25 October last year not long after telling his family he had recently been struggling to breathe.
Now a coroner who only a few months ago presided over two-year-old Awaab Ishak’s death in a mouldy flat has opened an inquest into Luke’s passing.
A post-mortem found Luke had a form of pneumonia that can be brought on by blankets of mould before experiencing respiratory distress syndrome.
The examination described the property, which he lived in with his parents, as a ‘heavily mould-infested accommodation’.
Senior Coroner Joanne Kearsley will now decide whether Luke’s death is the second in recent times in Greater Machester to be down to medical issues brought on by mould.
Rochdale Coroner’s Court heard how Luke and his family in a property they rented for eight years from a private landlord in Oldham.
Paul Lever, police coroners’ officer at Greater Manchester Police (GMP), told the court: ‘Luke resided with his parents.
‘He spent a lot of time in his room playing video games and left the house on a few occasions.’
After he started to fall unwell, he tried to get a GP appointment while being told by NHS’ 111 services he could have a ‘viral infection’ so should take ibuprofen, Lever said.
In the days before his death, Luke began to feel ‘weak’ and suffered from a skin rash and had ‘difficulty breathing’, the court was told.
Paramedics were called after Luke suffered a ‘fit in his bed’ before he stopped breathing altogether on October 25.
Detective Inspector Judith Holmes said council environmental health officials visited the family flat on November 1 and took several photographs.
She said: ‘There had been some cleaning done in the property between October 25 and the visit on November 1, Luke’s room had actually been cleaned at that point.
‘There was a small patch of mould growth above a radiator. They had already cleaned the internal walls of Luke’s room, however, it was untidy at that time. There were animals present during the visit.
‘Oldham Council visited the address in response to the family making complaints to the local authority.’
Holmes added that Luke’s parents complained about the property being in ‘disrepair’ as ‘opposed to any mould in the property’.
‘No formal issues’ were found by council officials but the force has commissioned a second inspection.
A microbiologist will now scour the flat for any signs of Aspergillus, the type of mould thought to be behind Luke’s sputtered breathing.
‘At this moment in time, the investigation is looking at whether criminal offences may have been committed and also what opportunities the council may have had as well,’ she said.
‘But at this moment in time, they are still keeping an open mind.’
Found flowering across bathroom tiles and living room walls, mould is very common in damp environments and can be especially harmful to children.
The fungi’s fuzzy tendrils slowly spread across surfaces and produce allergens which can cause sneezing, runny noses, skin rashes and red eyes.
But in more serious cases for those with respiratory conditions, certain black mould types such as Cladosporium and Alternaria can bring on sometimes deadly asthma attacks.
Many of the negative health impacts of mould were brought to national attention after the death of Awaab at his Rochdale home in December 2020.
His father, Faisal Abdullah, had complained about the mould to Rochdale Boroughwide Housing – he was told to paint over it.
Health visitors found in June 2020 mould had covered the kitchen, bathroom and a bedroom cupboard, this meant the toddler had ‘chronic exposure to harmful mould’, coroner Kearsley said at an inquest last November.
Now Greater Manchester could see the second death tied to mould in recent years.
Luke’s father, James, said: ‘Luke was a fantastic lad. He was a fit lad, he wasn’t unfit. He was the nicest lad you could meet.
‘He was a lovely human being. I was lucky to get 27 years with him. He never gave us any trouble.
‘He was a good artist, he couple play the guitar and the piano, he was very talented.’
His mother, Patricia, added: ‘He had a brilliant heart, he was funny. He was a wind-up merchant. He had the patience of a saint, our Luke.
‘He took over the cooking, he looked after me and James. He wouldn’t leave our side. He was our angel, he was the spark in this house.
‘He was the light.’
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